21 farmer suicides in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district in January

Nagpur, Feb 4 (PTI) The Yavatmal district of eastern Maharashtra recorded 21 farmer suicides in January, an activist said on Wednesday, accusing the government of failing to deal with the agrarian crisis.

Kishore Tiwari, former chairman of the state government's Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission (VNSSM), shared an official list of the farmers who allegedly died by suicide in the district last month.

Western Vidarbha, where cotton and soybean are major crops, has been reporting farmer suicides since 1998, and all the relief packages of the UPA as well as NDA governments failed to address the core issues such as input costs, irrigation, soil health, minimum support price, local storage and processing facilities and government procurement, he said.

Instead of frequent loan waivers, there should be a long-term credit policy and proper incentive for diversion from cash crops to millets and pulses, said Tiwari.

Yavatmal collector Vikas Meena confirmed that the district recorded 21 farmer suicides in the first month of 2026.

Under the state government's 'Mission Ubhari Abhiyan', an initiative aimed at preventing farmer suicides and rehabilitating distressed farmer families, significant relief has been provided, he said.

He personally distributed demand drafts of financial assistance and necessary certificates for various government schemes to eligible beneficiaries, Meena said.

Under Mission Ubhari, psychological and social support is also provided to distressed families, the collector stated. PTI COR CLS KRK